In
The Land Of The Head Hunters
(1914/Milestone Blu-ray Set)/Open
Sesame: The Story Of Seeds
(2015/Truemind DVD)/Through
A Lens Darkly (2014/First
Run DVD)
Picture:
B/C+/C+ Sound: B/C/C+ Extras: B/C+/C Main Programs: B
Here
are some new documentaries, including an early silent classic
restored that includes reenactments that added up to a vital work of
film...
Any
silent film that has survived in any form is more than ever,
remarkable and under the dual circumstances of no film preservation
at the time and nitrate film that can catch fire on its own and is
not easily extinguished means we lost well over half (and as much as
80% of the earliest films!) of the films ever made. Some film are
luckier in that more footage is found as fans and lovers of cinema
work to get the films saved. Edward S. Curtis' In
The Land Of The Head Hunters
(1914) is one such film like Lang's Metropolis
(1926, reviewed elsewhere on this site) that was partly save, then
further saved recently with the discovery of more footage,
A
semi-documentary that includes rare footage often loaded with
sometimes obvious reenactments, such films became very popular in
their time, especially the likes of Nanook
Of The North, a huge box
office hit that apparently no one expected to make a penny.
Milestone has decided to make no less than a 2-disc Blu-ray set
devoted to the film with the new restoration in high definition its
centerpiece, then add other versions and as much extra footage and
bonus pieces possible, resulting in yet another top rate, archival
release film fans and scholars can really get deep into. You get to
see this landmark film and record of the Native American Gwa'wina
tribe from every angle possible, including the same great people
today, continuing the traditions, culture and pricelessness of a
people who existed long before the United States was ever thought of.
This already makes it one of the best Blu-ray releases of the year,
on the level of any Criterion or limited edition/exclusive release.
This is one of those films so important, you have likely seen some
clip from it and not even known it. Now, you should see it all.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary track by film scholars (et
al) Bill Holm, Andy Everson & Aaron Glass, the 1973 In
The Land Of The War Canoes
version of the film that was the only surviving version until now
running only 44 minutes, a Stills Gallery, Turning
Point Ensemble (3
minutes) clip showing the scoring of the new version, a 2008 Cultural
Presentation by the actual Gwa'wina Dancers (83 minutes), Documents
Of Encounter: The Head Hunters Reconstruction Project
(38 minutes) and The Image
Makers & The Indians
(1979, 16 minutes) piece on how Holm and War
Canoes reconstructor
George Quimby put the 1973 version together.
M.
Sean Kaminsky's Open
Sesame: The Story Of Seeds
(2015) continues the story of how too much genetic engineering of
food is destroying its nutritional value, much worse and literally
endangering the planet and human race, no matter what the propaganda
says otherwise. Through history and interviews, we see a great group
of people and food lovers fighting against total corporate ownership
of the food supply and a restoration project as important as saving
any film.
Turns
out that long before any company wanted to copyright and own the
genetic structure of any seed or food, a crisis was brewing over the
many varieties of various fruits and vegetables being grown were
being grown out of existence out of limited-life cross-breeding and
hardly anyone saving the basic seeds that are referred to as heirloom
types. We learn how a few were recovered (think of something like
corn, where you might have had 100 types, but now only a few; its
that bad a situation) and everyone from fans to seed banks are doing
everything they can to spread these seeds al over the place, get
people to love, save and preserve seed and how (of course) this adds
to the variety, flavors, nutrition and eating possibilities we should
have never lost to begin with.
One
key to all this is to make sure the seeds have basic elements that
cannot be registered as owned by anybody so anyone can go back to
growing food and other things they want and like without a crazy
lawsuit telling them no or making the criminals in an almost
Kafkaesque way. The five companies are making billions on their
whittled down versions of something nature makes best, but the
originals remain the best and this solid documentary shows a vital
movement beginning and hopefully, one that takes permanent hold so we
do not have yet another unnecessary manmade crisis.
Extras
include seven extras pieces like How
To Save Tomato Seeds 101,
Seed Magic,
Seed Money,
New Mexico Chili,
a director interview and interview with the great Vandana Shiva, who
tends to be the greatest thinker of many on the subjects of seeds,
food, nutrition, health and the ecosystem. She cannot ever say
enough!
Thomas
Allen Harris' Through A
Lens Darkly (2014) echoes
In The Land Of The Head
Hunters as it not only
also is about preserving the history of people oppressed and victims
of genocide, but how you capture that photographically as well as
accurately. Like Native Americans, African Americans became the
target (the biggest since Native Americans) of negative images that
degraded, demeaned and were meant to undermine them being taken
seriously. Focusing mostly on still photography, this solid program
(running a rich 92 minutes) shows us the artists, thinkers and even
activists who have gone out of their way to guarantee an accurate
record over the years of these lives and how having control of your
image is so vital instead of surrendering it to racists, bigots and
hatemongers.
Many
of the images are striking, beautiful, honest and let us into a world
hidden, almost forgotten, almost disposed of and with as much truth
as wordless images can deliver. This is also a great work about how
priceless great photography is, something being taken for granted
(especially lately) in this age of easy, if generic, digital images.
Highly recommended.
Extras
include 14 short videos and text biographies.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 monochromatic restoration with colored tinting and
toning in digital High Definition image transfer on Land
can show the age of the materials used since it is a reconstruction
of a film that is lucky it survived at all, but this is far superior
a transfer to all previous releases of the film (including ones
included on this set) and I give it points for the colors looking
correct, so it rates near-excellent despite some footage only
surviving in 16mm if that. Expect some frames where the image has
all but disappeared. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the DVDs are a little soft
as expected for the format, but both also make for compelling viewing
and look as good as they can in the former.
As
for sound, DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) all-music for a silent film 5.1
and 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes on Land
are obviously going to be the
best here since they are all music and no old sound from a controlled
studio situation. By comparison, both DVDs surprisingly offer
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes
that try to expand the sound, but Seeds
comes up a little short by making the sound a little weaker than it
needs to be throughout, so be careful of volume switching and high
levels as you may be used to doing for documentaries anyhow.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
